News
Penn Researchers Integrate Origami and Engineering
June 5, 2013 11:04 am | by University of Pennsylvania | CommentsThe quintessential piece of origami might be a decorative paper crane, but in the hands of an interdisciplinary University of Pennsylvania research team, it could lead to a drug-delivery device, an emergency shelter, or even a space station.
Sleep Study Finds Important Gender Differences Among Heart Patients
June 5, 2013 10:39 am | by University of California - San Francisco | CommentsMany women get too little sleep, despite considerable evidence showing the importance of sleep to overall health. Now a new UC San Francisco study has discovered another reason why inadequate sleep may be harmful, especially to women and their hearts.
Heart Health Matters to Your Brain
June 5, 2013 10:36 am | by Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center | CommentsPeople suffering from type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) are at an increased risk of cognitive decline, according to a new study from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. Lead author Christina E. Hugenschmidt, Ph.D., said the results from the Diabetes Heart Study-Mind (DHS-Mind) suggest that CVD is playing a role in cognition problems before it is clinically apparent in patients.
Genetic Editing Shows Promise in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
June 5, 2013 10:33 am | by Duke University | CommentsUsing a novel genetic 'editing' technique, Duke University biomedical engineers have been able to repair a defect responsible for one of the most common inherited disorders, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, in cell samples from Duchenne patients.
Improving Stem Cells’ Cartilage Formation
June 5, 2013 10:23 am | by University of Pennsylvania | CommentsCartilage injuries are difficult to repair. Bioengineers are interested in finding innovative ways to grow new cartilage from a patient’s own stem cells, and, thanks to a new study from the University of Pennsylvania, such a treatment is a step closer to reality.
Obesity Surgery-Diabetes Study Shows Pros and Cons
June 5, 2013 10:18 am | by Lindsey Tanner, AP Medical Writer | CommentsObesity surgery worked much better at reducing and even reversing diabetes than medication and lifestyle changes in one of the most rigorous studies of its kind. But the researchers and others warn that possible serious complications need to be considered.
SI-BONE, Inc. Announces Publication of Postmarket Surveillance Safety Data on First 5,319 Patients Treated with iFuse Implant System
June 5, 2013 7:00 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsSI-BONE, Inc. (San Jose, California), a medical device company that is pioneering the use of a minimally invasive surgical (MIS) device to fuse the sacroiliac (SI) joint, announced today the publication of the iFuse Implant System's@ postmarket surveillance safety data for the first 5,319 patients treated.
Evergreen Medical Technologies Launches Integrated Lead to Pulse Generator Interconnect System for Implantable Neurostimulators
June 4, 2013 8:31 pm | by Business Wire | Bal Seal Engineering, Inc. | CommentsEvergreen Medical Technologies has launched the Encompass Lead-Interconnect System, the first pretested integrated lead-interconnect system designed for implantable neurostimulator pulse generator (IPG) devices. The Encompass, enabled by Bal Seal Engineering’s SYGNUS® implantable contact system and Company’s premolded 16-channel header technology, saves development time and costs for neurostimulation device companies.
Blue Belt Technologies Announces US FDA Clearance to Market its STRIDE Unicondylar Knee System
June 4, 2013 4:21 pm | by Business Wire | CommentsBlue Belt Technologies, Inc., an innovative medical technology company commercializing robotic-assisted solutions for orthopedic surgery, today announced that it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its STRIDE™ Unicondylar Knee implant system.
Transparent Electrode Enables Electronics on Contact Lens
June 4, 2013 12:10 pm | by Eunhee Song, UNIST | CommentsA hybrid transparent and stretchable electrode could open the new way for flexible displays, solar cells, and even electronic devices fitted on a curvature substrate such as soft eye contact lenses, by the UNIST (Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology) research team.
A Step Closer to Artificial Livers
June 4, 2013 11:54 am | by Anne Trafton, MIT News Office | CommentsPrometheus, the mythological figure who stole fire from the gods, was punished for this theft by being bound to a rock. Each day, an eagle swept down and fed on his liver, which then grew back to be eaten again the next day. Modern scientists know there is a grain of truth to the tale, says MIT engineer Sangeeta Bhatia: The liver can indeed regenerate itself if part of it is removed.
Detecting Disease with a Smartphone Accessory
June 4, 2013 11:36 am | by The Optical Society | CommentsAs drugs that treat HIV have become more common, the incidence of Kaposi's sarcoma has decreased in the U.S. The disease, however, remains prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, where poor access to medical care and lab tests only compound the problem. Now, Cornell engineers have created a smartphone-based system, consisting of a plug-in optical accessory and disposable microfluidic chips, for detection of the herpes virus that causes Kaposi's.
National Review: Non-Adherence Among Teenage Heart Transplant Recipients Is Widespread, Often Fatal
June 4, 2013 10:40 am | by Boston Children's Hospital | CommentsAfter receiving an organ transplant, patients must follow a regimented medication routine to maintain the health of their graft (transplanted organ). Failure to do so, known as non-adherence (NA), can result in life-threatening illness. NA has long been a concern among adolescent patients, but a new study from Boston Children's Hospital demonstrates the problem may be more serious than previously understood.
Altered Neural Circuitry May Lead to Anorexia and Bulimia
June 4, 2013 10:10 am | by University of California - San Diego | CommentsA landmark study, with first author Tyson Oberndorfer, MD, and led by Walter H. Kaye, MD, professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, suggests that the altered function of neural circuitry contributes to restricted eating in anorexia and overeating in bulimia.
Technique Could Identify Patients at High Risk of Stroke or Brain Hemorrhage
June 4, 2013 10:07 am | by Nationwide Children’s Hospital | CommentsMeasuring blood flow in the brain may be an easy, noninvasive way to predict stroke or hemorrhage in children receiving cardiac or respiratory support through a machine called ECMO, according to a new study by researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Early detection would allow physicians to alter treatment and take steps to prevent these complications—the leading cause of death for patients on ECMO.
